Basaglar News

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 20, 2017 – Seniors with type 2 diabetes may be at increased risk for fractures. And researchers think they know why. "Fracture in older adults with type 2 diabetes is a highly important public health problem and will only increase with the aging of the population and growing epidemic of diabetes," said study author Dr. Elizabeth Samelson. Samelson and her colleagues used special medical scans to assess more than 1,000 people over a three-year study period. The investigators found that older adults with type 2 diabetes had bone weakness that cannot be measured by standard bone density testing. "Our findings identify skeletal deficits that may contribute to excess fracture risk in older adults with diabetes and may ultimately lead to new approaches to improve prevention and treatment," said Samelson, of Hebrew SeniorLife's Institute for Aging Research in Boston. ... Read more

TUESDAY, Aug. 8, 2017 – Taking steps to prevent heart disease is crucial for people with type 2 diabetes. But most diabetic adults in the United States aren't meeting recommended guidelines, health officials say. In a new report, researchers confirm that "cardiovascular risk reduction is critically important for the care of patients with diabetes, with or without known [heart disease or heart disease] risk factors." Drugs such as cholesterol-lowering statins, aspirin and blood sugar-lowering medications plus lifestyle approaches should be considered for all type 2 diabetes patients, according to the Aug. 7 report in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Suggested lifestyle approaches include exercise, good nutrition and weight management. For the report, researchers from New York University Medical Center examined evidence behind the guidelines for preventing heart disease ... Read more

TUESDAY, Aug. 8, 2017 – Here's another example of technology's evolving impact on health care. A new study found that playing an online game can help those with diabetes get better control of their blood sugar. The study included 456 U.S. Veterans Affairs diabetes patients with poor blood sugar control while on oral medications. Half played a specially designed, team-based online diabetes education game for six months. The others were assigned to a control group that played a civics education game. "This [diabetes control] game represents a small time commitment for patients, but potentially a big impact for their health," corresponding author Dr. B. Price Kerfoot said in a news release from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He is an associate professor of surgery at the hospital. The diabetes game features multiple choice questions about blood sugar control, exercise, long-term ... Read more

MONDAY, Aug. 7, 2017 – Many people with diabetes experiment with placement of their continuous glucose monitors and get good results, a new study finds. A continuous glucose monitor is a sensor inserted under the skin that tracks blood sugar levels. People with type 1 diabetes – and some with type 2 diabetes – can use this near-constant stream of information to make decisions about eating, exercising and insulin dosing. (People with type 1 diabetes need synthetic insulin in order to use the sugar in food as fuel.) To see where monitors were actually being worn, researchers culled social media posts for images of people using continuous glucose monitors made by Dexcom. "This study identified that 64 percent of individuals in our sample were not wearing their Dexcom in an FDA-approved location," said Michelle Litchman, the study's lead author. She's an assistant professor at the ... Read more

SATURDAY, Aug. 5, 2017 – It can be tough for people with diabetes to choose appropriate over-the-counter medicines for a cold, cough or headache, a pharmacist explains. Many of these so-called OTC drugs contain carbohydrates (including sugar) that can affect blood sugar levels, or ingredients that can interact with diabetes medications, according to Miranda Wilhelm. She is a clinical associate professor at Southern Illinois University School of Pharmacy. But labels on OTC medicines don't list carbohydrates, she said. Wilhelm was to present a report on the topic Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Association of Diabetes Educators, in Indianapolis. "It's a dilemma because in some cases the carbs are so high it's equivalent to a snack," Wilhelm said in an association news release. "On the other hand, if you actually read the ingredients, you might be afraid to take something ... Read more

TUESDAY, Aug. 1, 2017 – Protein deposits in the pancreas may lead scientists to a better understanding of type 2 diabetes. The protein – called amyloid polypeptide (IAPP) – collects in the pancreas in people with type 2 diabetes. But whether these deposits cause the disease or appear after the disease begins hasn't been clear. Researchers from McGovern Medical School at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston injected mice with this protein to try to better define their role in type 2 diabetes. They found that when the mice received this protein, the animals developed symptoms of type 2 diabetes, such as the death of insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and high blood sugar levels. The study team also injected the protein into pancreatic tissue from healthy human donors. The researchers found IAPP collected in the pancreatic tissue. "Almost all patients with type ... Read more

MONDAY, July 24, 2017 – Most primary care doctors can't identify all 11 risk factors for prediabetes, a small new survey finds. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University said their findings should prompt doctors to learn more about this condition that affects an estimated 86 million adults in the United States and could eventually lead to type 2 diabetes. "We think the findings are a wake-up call for all primary care providers to better recognize the risk factors for prediabetes, which is a major public health issue," said study first author Dr. Eva Tseng in a university news release. She's an assistant professor at Hopkins' School of Medicine. It's estimated that 90 percent of those with prediabetes are unaware that they have the condition, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) explains that changes in diet, exercise ... Read more

FRIDAY, July 21, 2017 – Two particular types of nerve damage (neuropathy) have been increasing as more and more people develop diabetes in the United States, an expert says. Autonomic and small fiber neuropathy were once rare conditions. Both occur when small blood vessels supplying the nerves are damaged by diabetes because they don't get enough oxygen and nutrients, said Dr. Divpreet Kaur, a neurologist at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. Diabetes is one of the main causes of neuropathy, and about 30 million Americans currently have diabetes, Kaur said. More commonly, people with diabetes have nerve damage that causes numbness in the feet and toes. This is called peripheral neuropathy, according to the American Diabetes Association. Autonomic neuropathy affects involuntary bodily functions such as blood pressure, digestion, sexual function, urination, temperature ... Read more

TUESDAY, July 18, 2017 – More than 100 million U.S. adults have diabetes or prediabetes, health officials say. As of 2015, more than 9 percent of the population – 30.3 million – had diabetes. Another 84.1 million had prediabetes, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Tuesday. People with prediabetes have elevated blood sugar levels, but not so high that they have full-blown diabetes, which requires medication or insulin injections. With exercise and a healthy diet, prediabetics can halve their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, the CDC noted. However, awareness levels remain too low. The new report found that nearly 1 in 4 adults with diabetes didn't even know they had the disease, and less than 12 percent with prediabetes knew they had that condition. If not treated, prediabetes often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years, the CDC said. "More than a ... Read more

FRIDAY, July 14, 2017 – A treatment targeting wayward immune cells in people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes may help even years later, a new study finds. For the treatment, researchers take blood from a person with diabetes and separate out the immune system cells (lymphocytes). They briefly expose those cells to stem cells from umbilical cord blood from an unrelated infant. Then they return the lymphocytes to the patient's body. The researchers have dubbed this treatment "stem cell educator therapy," because when exposed to the stem cells, the errant lymphocytes seem to re-learn how they should behave. "Stem cell educator therapy is a safe approach" with long-term effectiveness, said the study's lead author, Dr. Yong Zhao. He's an associate scientist at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey. Type 1 diabetes, an autoimmune disease, occurs when the body's immune system ... Read more

FRIDAY, July 7, 2017 – Exercise is a powerful tool for managing diabetes. Doing it safely can be a bit of a challenge, but the extra effort is worth it. Regular exercise has been shown to lower blood sugar levels. Working out uses sugar from your bloodstream to fuel your muscles. It also helps the insulin in your body to work better, according to the American Diabetes Association. Talk to your doctor about which activities are safe for you, what your blood sugar readings should be prior to working out, and what to look for when you test your blood sugar during as well as after exercise. You'll likely be told to always test your blood sugar before working out. If it's too high to exercise safely, wait until it's back under control. If it's too low, eat a small snack to help prevent hypoglycemia – dangerously low blood sugar, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ... Read more

TUESDAY, June 20, 2017 – Millions of Americans with diabetes use glucose meters and test strips to monitor their blood sugar, but affording those supplies can be a challenge. And that leads some people to use secondhand test strips to save money. It's legal for people to sell unused secondhand test strips. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advises against buying or selling pre-owned test strips because they may give incorrect results and may not be safe to use with a glucose meter. "Test strips should be properly stored to give accurate results," according to the FDA. "If you buy pre-owned strips, it is hard to know whether the strips were stored properly. Test strips also could be expired. A lack of proper storage or using expired strips could put you at risk for getting incorrect results from your glucose meter. And incorrect results can put you at risk for serious health ... Read more

TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 – Young people with type 2 diabetes are much more likely to show signs of complications from the blood sugar disease than those who have type 1 diabetes, a new study shows. While the researchers found that about three in four teens and young adults with type 2 diabetes had at least one complication, only one in three with type 1 diabetes did. Why? "The one big difference in the kids with type 1 and type 2 was obesity. When we controlled the data for obesity, there was no longer an excess of complications for type 2 diabetes," explained lead author Dr. Dana Dabelea. She's a professor of epidemiology and pediatrics at the Colorado School of Public Health, in Aurora. The one bright spot in the findings was that the complications were mostly in the "early or subclinical" stages, Dabelea added. That means there's still time to reverse the damage, she explained. Both ... Read more

THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 – You'd probably be surprised if your dentist said you might have type 2 diabetes. But new research finds that severe gum disease may be a sign the illness is present and undiagnosed. The study found that nearly one in five people with severe gum disease (periodontitis) had type 2 diabetes and didn't know it. The researchers said these findings suggest that the dentist's office may be a good place for a prediabetes or type 2 diabetes screening. "Be aware that worsened oral health – in particular, periodontitis – can be a sign of an underlying [condition], such as diabetes," said study author Dr. Wijnand Teeuw. He's the chief of the periodontology clinic at the Academic Center for Dentistry Amsterdam in the Netherlands. "Early diagnosis and treatment of both periodontitis and diabetes will benefit the patient by preventing further complications," Teeuw added. ... Read more

THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 – People with diabetes have to think about their condition and make treatment decisions constantly – and all that extra work and worry can lead to psychological distress at times. "Diabetes distress" isn't the same as depression, however, diabetes experts note. It's a condition unique to the 24/7 demands that come with diabetes, particularly for people dependent on insulin. "The day you develop diabetes, it's like the universe just handed you a new full-time job that you have to do in addition to whatever else you're doing. It's a special job that has a big impact on the rest of your life. There's no pay and no vacation," said William Polonsky, president of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego. Alicia McAuliffe-Fogarty, vice president of lifestyle management at the American Diabetes Association, put it this way: "Diabetes distress is the extra burden ... Read more